Motorcycle Oil Filters – All You Need to Know

Just imagine what would happen if we didn’t have any kidneys. Well, for starters, there would be no blood filtration process, which could result in your death or you could end up on a dialysis machine.

Don’t worry! We are not here to scare you. Nobody wants to be in this situation. So, let’s come to the point. Today, we are here to tell you a few things about motorcycle oil filters. Most of us don’t know what oil filters are. Or what they are used for? So, today we will discuss the importance of oil filters in motorcycles, the types of oil filters, and why we need to change the oil filters on a regular basis. This article is totally related to oil filters and can help you to learn a few things about them.

As we mentioned blood filtration and the kidneys above, oil filters are no different than kidneys in a human body. We all know the motorcycle engine converts fuel energy to mechanical energy and it has a combustion chamber where the fuel burns and enables motion for the motorcycle. This burning fuel creates a sludge that needs to be removed from the engine; otherwise, it can damage the engine and affect the efficiency of the motorbike. That’s why motorcycles need oil filters, to get rid of sludge materials of the burned fuel. You can also say that “All hydraulic machinery needs an oil filter to get rid of dirt and waste materials.”

Different Types of Oil Filters

There are different types of oil filters available on the market. Many motorcycles have oil filters of different designs. So, let’s learn more about the types of oil filters.

Mechanical Oil Filter

Mechanical oil filters contain filter paper, which blocks the contaminants. But, the downside of mechanical oil filters is that you have to change the filter regularly. The oil filter paper becomes blocked with contaminants like dirt and sludge waste. This blockage slows down the oil passing through the filter, which is why the filter has to be changed regularly.

Magnetic Oil Filters

These filters have electromagnets that attract waste material in the oil that is ferromagnetic to stop it before it enters the engine area. These magnetic oil filters last for a long time and don’t require any special attention to repair or change.

Sedimentation Oil Filters

Sedimentation oil filters are quite different from both filters we discussed above. It neither has any paper nor any electromagnets to attract contaminants. On the contrary, gravity plays a key role in sedimentation oil filters. It makes sludge or contaminant particles heavy and forces them to settle on the bottom and allows the oil to pass through without any contaminants. However, it has a major drawback that allows light contaminants to pass through the filter to the engine area.

Spin-on Oil Filters

These oil filters have special bearings that rotate at high speed to settle the heavy contaminants on the bottom.

See Also: Motorcycle Mechanics Chapter 2 – What are the Basic Motorcycle Systems?

Why Do We Need to Change Oil Filters and Oil?

There are many reasons to replace the oil filters and to change the oil of your motorcycle. If you are an off-road motorcyclist, you already know the importance of changing the engine oil and oil filters frequently. You can see below, why it is important to change the oil filters and engine oil.

• The oil filter blocks contaminants, which result in engine-clogging. When this happens, the process of the oil passing to the engine area functions at a lesser rate, which results in the lubrication pressure system causing a strain on the motorcycle engine due to the lack of oil.
• If your motorcycle is casting white smoke out of the exhaust, it means your motorcycle is losing power and you need to change the oil filter and engine oil.

Final Words

I believe that you now understand the importance of both engine oil and oil filters. You also learned about different oil filter types. So, if you are looking for an oil filter, make sure you buy a quality one. There is no need to save a few bucks on oil filters when they aren’t that expensive. But, choosing the wrong oil filter can damage your motorcycle engine, which will require a lot of money to repair.

I hope it doesn’t come to that. Remember, the oil filter is the only thing that protects an engine from contaminants.